Lessons from France. Lessons from Henley en Thames.  This amazing weekend of rugby delivered many ‘leçons’.  For example, our beautiful game is a thinking man’s game - we have to combine brawn with brain, endeavour with intellect, and teamwork with individual flair – and, above all, we have to get the basics right.  England and France showed what can happen when these things come together, even against the toughest competition. 

In the first test that counts, a league match, Henley showed Chinnor that they are a few weeks ahead in their coursework this term.  That’s ok.  It not what we wanted to learn, but Chinnor can certainly take some positives from it.  Henley ran in winners by 36 points to 17 thanks primarily to the coordinated effort of their forwards.  They hit the rucks together, they drove the set scrums forward and they won almost every lineout.  In addition, Henley kicked astutely and they used their backs intelligently.  However, despite all this, Chinnor were very much in the game; Adam Crisp rounded off an excellent move to score the first try of the match, Tom Webb scored twice to keep the score line respectable and there were long passages of play when Chinnor looked the stronger team.   There was plenty of effort and there were flashes of brilliance from many of the Chinnor squad, but the cohesion that brings results against opposition of this calibre was missing.  Chinnor need to work on thinking their way to an advantage.  If players hit the rucks one at a time, they’ll be driven back; defending has to be coordinated and practised; kicking penalties to touch only makes sense if lineout's can be won.  Equally, tackles have to be made, passes have to go to hand and support has to be on the runner’s shoulder.  Chinnor can do all this, but they must be prepared to listen, learn and graft for each other.

Your roving reporter’s man of the match?  Lewis Bradbrook-Taylor was lively and committed.  Andy Berry showed his class, but Tom Webb stole the show with some bullocking individual runs and two tries.  If Chinnor can learn to pull together the strength of their big men, they will be a real force.  Add in the other lessons on ‘thinking’ and they will be unstoppable.

Sorry this is short; must write to my aunt.

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